Nintendo and dropping the WiiU

[Ken_J]

First: No this is not a news story this is an opinion piece.

On Topic: There is a lot of talk about how the Big N should dropping the Wii U and come out with a new console and all that Jazz.

I think Nintendo will Drop the Wii U 'soon'. By soon I mean 4-5 years from now. Both Sony and Microsoft have stated that the 4 and 1 are in it for the long haul, i.e. 10 years. The Big N has said nothing of the sort, as far as I know, and the WU will probably be around for half that time.

Now the Next Nintendo console will probably face derision and cries of "It's too early" more "you going the way of SEGA" and "They're Just catching up with the 'Current GEN'" but 5-6 years is a good long while to wait.

Even if the WU doesn't make that much money it will make decent cash and the 3DS is still selling like gangbusters, so their finances are going to be great so they can actually afford to do something like that.

What do you guys think?

 

[Foolery]

Dropping the Wii U would make them end up like Sega. It's financial suicide to drop it. In 6 or 7 years, yeah, putting out a new console might be reasonable. As of now, no. They have to ride it out and work on the software library. That's what the issue is. Games. Better marketing would also help. Also this is the third Wii U thread in the past couple days.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.835686-Naughty-Dog-Co-Founder-Nintendo-Irrelevant-as-a-Hardware-Manufacturer

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.835754-Wii-U-Consumer-Confusion-is-it-still-a-problem

And one article thread.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.835784-Ex-Sony-Dev-Wii-U-Wont-Last-Another-Christmas

 

[BloodSquirrel]

I don't really see the advantage to coming into the current gen race 4-5 years late. If they plan on releasing a new console when Sony and MS do, then they'll be selling a really short life span to their audiences. If they don't, then they'll wind up in the same position where they are now where the Wii Yall can't run the same games as the PS5 and the Xbox0.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Aw shit, at first I thought the title said 'Nintendo dropping Wii-U price'. Dammit!

Anyway, I doubt Nintendo not crying off the rooftops that they're in it for the long haul says anything about the longevity of the Wii-U. I'm sure Nintendo is aware of the awkward position the Wii-U is currently in, and they're most likely working on a back-up plan as we speak to give the system a boost. Atleast, I hope so.

[sub]*psst* Like a price drop.[/sub]

 

[Ken_J]

Dropping the Wii U would make them end up like Sega. It's financial suicide to drop it. In 6 or 7 years, yeah, putting out a new console might be reasonable. As of now, no. They have to ride it out and work on the software library. That's what the issue is. Games. Better marketing would also help. Also this is the third Wii U thread in the past couple days.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.835686-Naughty-Dog-Co-Founder-Nintendo-Irrelevant-as-a-Hardware-Manufacturer

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.835754-Wii-U-Consumer-Confusion-is-it-still-a-problem

And one article thread.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.835784-Ex-Sony-Dev-Wii-U-Wont-Last-Another-Christmas

Yeah it's WU discussion time again. Sad that's its dread rather than excitment

 

[Tom_green_day]

IMO to really compete with Sony and Microsoft they'll have to synchronise their release dates with their consoles. One of the reasons I didn't buy a Wii U is that I was still on PS3, and by the time I wanted a new console PS4 and Xbox One were the most cutting edge. Nintendo fans will buy a Wii U and Nintendo needs to aim for a bigger audience than that.

 

[shrekfan246]

Dropping the Wii U would make them end up like Sega. It's financial suicide to drop it. In 6 or 7 years, yeah, putting out a new console might be reasonable. As of now, no. They have to ride it out and work on the software library. That's what the issue is. Games. Better marketing would also help.

Nintendo isn't really in the same situation as Sega, though. They're likely still sitting pretty off the blazing success of the DS, Wii, and 3DS, and that's why they haven't been talking much about how good or bad the Wii U has been. It's one thing for people from Sony-related studios to accuse the Wii U of being dead in the water, it's a completely different thing for Nintendo to outright admit it. They've admitted they didn't market it well at all and it suffered as a result, but it's still doing about as well as the PS3 had been doing in the same span of time; Which is to say, it's not rocketing off of store shelves, but it's still moving a relatively respectable number of units.

And for what it's worth with all credit to Nintendo, the Wii U is the only console I'd be considering getting in the next year, anyway. I want to upgrade my PC before I get a PS4 or Xbox One, and with a more powerful PC I'll be able to play many of the things those two consoles get anyway.

 

[gorfias]

IMO to really compete with Sony and Microsoft they'll have to synchronise their release dates with their consoles. One of the reasons I didn't buy a Wii U is that I was still on PS3, and by the time I wanted a new console PS4 and Xbox One were the most cutting edge. Nintendo fans will buy a Wii U and Nintendo needs to aim for a bigger audience than that.

Add to that Nintendo fan boys may feel burned by now. I could get a Wii U, but I thought someone dropped the ball with the Gamecube and it never lived up to its potential. N64, they simply took a wrong turn not support optic disc. I can forgive that, but what happened with the Cube? And then, the Wii. It just isn't fun for campaign gaming.

For now, they've lost this fanboy. They can't even count on their base. They have to win us back.

ITMT: Sega was totally hosed by the time the Dreamcast died. Long story. It was doomed.

So far, Wii U sales suggest nothing of the kind.

And they really can offer something cutting edge in 5 years that will be more powerful then the PS4 or Xbox One. It better be.

 

[WeepingAngels]

Wii U should be a 5 year console which gives it another 4 years. The last generation was too long, we need to get back to 5 year cycles. I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo has something new in a year or two though.

 

[Foolery]

Dropping the Wii U would make them end up like Sega. It's financial suicide to drop it. In 6 or 7 years, yeah, putting out a new console might be reasonable. As of now, no. They have to ride it out and work on the software library. That's what the issue is. Games. Better marketing would also help.

Nintendo isn't really in the same situation as Sega, though. They're likely still sitting pretty off the blazing success of the DS, Wii, and 3DS, and that's why they haven't been talking much about how good or bad the Wii U has been. It's one thing for people from Sony-related studios to accuse the Wii U of being dead in the water, it's a completely different thing for Nintendo to outright admit it. They've admitted they didn't market it well at all and it suffered as a result, but it's still doing about as well as the PS3 had been doing in the same span of time; Which is to say, it's not rocketing off of store shelves, but it's still moving a relatively respectable number of units.

And for what it's worth with all credit to Nintendo, the Wii U is the only console I'd be considering getting in the next year, anyway. I want to upgrade my PC before I get a PS4 or Xbox One, and with a more powerful PC I'll be able to play many of the things those two consoles get anyway.

You're absolutely right. They are much healthier than Sega was financially. And I think the fact that they often follow through with supporting hardware for a decent amount of time instead of it dropping outright, helps. Every company fumbles here or there, Nintendo will be alright.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Nah they just need to do the 2DS thing, make a cheap version of the same shit just to make people perk up their ears again especially now that WiiU is in consumer terms out of fashion as it came before the "really new" consoles.
Now ideally they could pull it off by christmas and go toe to toe with the others, especially if they can get the price down (no parent will drop half a grand on Xbox if 200 or less will do for Wii2), but that is a tall order in this short period.

And for the love of god make some commercials that make sense, all you fucking advertised so far is the damn tablet, guess what people who don't follow you religiously think WiiU is just a damn tablet... which they already have.

 

[WeepingAngels]

Nah they just need to do the 2DS thing, make a cheap version of the same shit just to make people perk up their ears again especially now that WiiU is in consumer terms out of fashion as it came before the "really new" consoles.
Now ideally they could pull it off by christmas and go toe to toe with the others, especially if they can get the price down (no parent will drop half a grand on Xbox if 200 or less will do for Wii2), but that is a tall order in this short period.

And for the love of god make some commercials that make sense, all you fucking advertised so far is the damn tablet, guess what people who don't follow you religiously think WiiU is just a damn tablet... which they already have.

How do they "2DS" the Wii U? Take away the Gamepad?

 

[Foolery]

Nah they just need to do the 2DS thing, make a cheap version of the same shit just to make people perk up their ears again especially now that WiiU is in consumer terms out of fashion as it came before the "really new" consoles.
Now ideally they could pull it off by christmas and go toe to toe with the others, especially if they can get the price down (no parent will drop half a grand on Xbox if 200 or less will do for Wii2), but that is a tall order in this short period.

And for the love of god make some commercials that make sense, all you fucking advertised so far is the damn tablet, guess what people who don't follow you religiously think WiiU is just a damn tablet... which they already have.

How do they "2DS" the Wii U? Take away the Gamepad?

Yeah, that really wouldn't make much sense, seeing as the tablet is the focus of the console. I think a different name would have helped and prevented consumer confusion. Wii 2. Simple as that.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

They are not going to drop the Wii U. They are not going to drop the Gamepad. They're not even gonna drop the name. Furthermore, let's face it, Sony and MS saying their consoles will last for "the long haul" is a load of crap. In five years 3rd parties will once again kick and scream about how they need a power upgrade for their beloved shiny textures instead of using lateral thinking.

 

[Roxas1359]

They are not going to drop the Wii U. They are not going to drop the Gamepad. They're not even gonna drop the name. Furthermore, let's face it, Sony and MS saying their consoles will last for "the long haul" is a load of crap. In five years 3rd parties will once again kick and scream about how they need a power upgrade for their beloved shiny textures instead of using lateral thinking.

Because Microsoft and Sony would simply listen to them am I right? I get it, you seem to dislike most if not all 3rd party developers with how you vocalize your contempt for them, but even then the generation will last a long time and for a long haul whether you believe it or not. A console still lasts even after the main provider stops support of it. Nintendo is the only one that seems quick and eager to drop support for their consoles for some odd reason. Sony's system still sold strong and got games even after the new generation had been well under way (PS1's last game was in 2004, and the PS2's last game was this year).
Lumping all third party developers as being stupid and or incompetent is a really bad generalization seeing as really it's only the main big 3rd party developers that are the true idiots. *glares at Capcom, Activision, EA, and Ubisoft*

Also, "shiny textures" aren't the only things that are actually upgraded with a new console generation you know, but most people like to point and say that it is the only thing ever upgraded which is grossly wrong.

 

[Hero of Lime]

Nah, at best the Wii U will end up being a Gamecube in terms of sales. Not a huge success, (though the Gamecube was still sucessful) but still not a total failure. It wouldn't be wise for Nintendo to drop the console, though it will probably have a short lifespan. Plus, Nintendo has the war chest to survive a console flop, and like you said, the 3DS is a total success.

 

[Roxas1359]

Nah, at best the Wii U will end up being a Gamecube in terms of sales. Not a huge success, (though the Gamecube was still sucessful) but still not a total failure. It wouldn't be wise for Nintendo to drop the console, though it will probably have a short lifespan. Plus, Nintendo has the war chest to survive a console flop, and like you said, the 3DS is a total success.

Pretty much this, I honestly think the Wii U is just another GameCube for Nintendo really, and while there isn't anything wrong with that, there are many things that they could do to make it so that it sells more than the GameCube, but they just don't seem to be doing it. Mainly in this case the lack of advertising.

 

[balladbird]

I'm about as far from a nintendo fanboy as you can get. I have less than no care for zelda, mario, super smash, or any of their first party titles, and only owned the Wii, DS, and 3DS for the handful of third party titles they got exclusivity on. (xenoblade for the wii, the various SMT games for the handhelds)

..and even from my perspective it seems like dropping the Wii U would be premature. to say nothing of the money lost on the Wii-u endeavor, which would become impossible to recoup with sales once they rendered the system obsolete, there would be the issue of marketing, manufacturing, and developing for the console that followed.

It's too early yet to forecast doom and gloom. Nintendo fans are cut of a loyal cloth, and after the company moves enough major titles things will stabilize. Wii-U will likely still end up as a failed experiment, but between software sales and peripherals the company should be able to turn things into the black by the end.

 

[SeaCalMaster]

Can someone explain to me why we're expecting this generation to last 10 years? It looks to me like the standard has been 5-6 years, so why would this gen be any different?

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Can someone explain to me why we're expecting this generation to last 10 years? It looks to me like the standard has been 5-6 years, so why would this gen be any different?

Because even though that's what SHOULD happen (mostly because I don't see the point in cycles being so short), history dictates otherwise. Thing is, just like the 7th gen gen, we're probably going to see 3rd parties complaining prematurely because they didn't pace themselves properly. I really don't get why this obsession with power started. No one ever really complained that the PS2 wasn't enough, nor did the do the same with the PS1, the Super Nintendo, or the Nintendo. It's kind of odd